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Bridges into Work. Gareth Rees – RCT CBC. Project Goal.
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Bridges into Work Gareth Rees – RCT CBC
Project Goal • To address economic inactivity through a collaborative approach to engage, support and prepare the economically inactive, including those who are unemployed or on incapacity benefit, to acquire appropriate skills to become job ready and to gain sustainable employment
Partners • Convergence sets out the need to work collaboratively across areas • Bridges into Work is a collaborative approach led by Torfaen with Bridgend, RCT, Merthyr Tydfil, Caerphilly and Blaenau Gwent County Borough Councils
Project Description • Participants will be guided and supported through the journey from disengaged economic inactivity to engaged and active • Participants will be supported by a case worker who will be involved throughout the participants journey
Project Description – cont. • The project will engage in confidence building and providing training necessary for those furthest from the job market to overcome skills deficits and become economically active
Target Participants • Economically inactive and unemployed • Females • Older residents who require generalist skills to become economically active • Those with a disability or work limiting health condition
Target participants – cont. • Those seeking to enter non traditional fields for their sex • Those with childcare needs that present barriers to moving into employment • Those with transport issues • BME’s • NEETS over age of 16 who need not met by Priority 1
Activity • There will be 3 tiers of activity • 1 - Engagement • 2 - Specific vocational community based training • 3 - Job preparation and employer specific pre-employment training
Activity • Reduce number of economically inactive by 2,895 over 3 years • Engage 7,776 participants in first year, providing advice and guidance • Enable 7,121 participants to gain Level 2 or below • In first year, engage in a learning activity 7,000 participants and equip with an ‘Individual Learning Plan’
Activity • Enable 7,914 participants to gain 10,900 qualifications during life of project • Enable 5,600 participants to move onto further training • Enable 17% of participants to enter into employment – 12% in HOV and Want2Work areas and 25% in other areas • Offer all participants mentoring from dedicated support worker
Project Management • Establishment of ‘Strategic Project Board’, to provide strategic direction and will meet monthly • Chaired by Lead Officer from Torfaen – all LA Partners represented
Need and Demand for Project • The Project builds on lessons learned from current and previous projects bringing together a holistic approach • The Project will dovetail with other programmes e..g HOV, City Strategy Pathfinder, Want2Work, Skillbuild, Job Centre Plus, Working Links and Genesis Wales
Cost of doing nothing • Job Centre Plus has identified that if someone claims Incapacity Benefit for more than 12 months they are likely to stay on benefits for 8 years • Cost of £68,000 based on £70 -£100 per week plus additional benefits such as Housing and Council Tax
Delivery and Results • LA to be an enabler, coordinator and where appropriate deliverer • Community provisions for engagement and implementation for initial training and referral • Involvement of community based networks essential for building trust between service providers and hardest to reach
Delivery and Results • The project will form a coherent suite of strategies addressing economic inactivity across 6 convergence counties • The project will concentrate efforts on providing the training for skills and qualification acquisition, mainly in generic, transferable skills
Delivery and Results • The project will have significant impact upon raising skill levels and reducing inactivity and worklessness by engaging 17,582 participants, over 3 years • ESF funding £10, 548,931 • Match funding £8,563,970